Morals
by miZaru667
Summary: *SYOT CLOSED* Before the people of the 12 remaining districts can recover from the long, bloody rebellion and the termination of District 13, the Capitol throws them a bombshell. Welcome the end of morality as was known before. Welcome to the Hunger Games.
1. Attention Citizens of Panem

**Hello :D I posted this story before, a couple years ago, but life totally got in the way (as it often does) Now I have nothing to do for two months since my first year of uni is over so can actually devote more time to writing. I'm very sorry to let go of some of my old tributes but very excited to see what new ones you guys come up with :) Hope you like it!**

Chapter 1: Attention, citizens of Panem

For Panem, the world had ended. Not in fire. Not in ice. Not even, as the citizens of the country formerly known as North America previously thought, in war. It ended with a television announcement.

"Attention, citizens of Panem." The words sounded all around the districts. Every surviving person was watching their scratchy screens with fear in their eyes. They knew something bad was coming. Something that would change everything for a very long time. But they didn't know what it was.

For decades Panem had lived peacefully alongside its Capitol, a gleaming beacon of hope for the people desperately trying to survive in the terrible conditions of the 13 districts. They provided food, luxury, fuel, electronics, even an army. Blindly following because they knew no different. But one day, a rebel from district 2, the peacekeeping district, decided enough was enough. He looked around at his struggling world, falling apart before his eyes, and he knew something needed to be done. But how could one little man disrupt the entire government system? He began to secretly plan. Piecing together the perfect uprising.

And thus, the rebellion began.

The Districts, all joined in unity for the first time, fighting against the tyrannous Capitol. And they were doing well! For the first part of the rebellion, it seemed as though the Capitol was going to be overthrown. That the rebels were going to succeed.

This notion was quashed immediately by the introduction of Muttations from the most secretive laboratories in the Capitol. Jabberjays, one of the first species of Mutt, were released into the Districts and proved to be very effective. The Jabberjay was a bird that could replicate human speech exactly. These mutts were positioned to overhear the rebels' plans and bring them straight back to the President and his advisories. After the rebellion, the remaining Jabberjays were freed and were expected to die off. But they didn't. The all male species of Jabberjay breeded with the Mockingbird creating an entirely new species; the Mockingjay. Mockingjays had lost their ability to recreate human sounds, but could replicate any tune. The Capitol's most powerful weapon had become a songbird.

Before the Districts knew what was happening, they began to lose.

To remind the Districts that no force could ever bring down the Capitol, the 13th district was obliterated. Many believed that District 13 had been supplying the Districts with nuclear weapons throughout the majority of the rebellion and that the Capitol deemed it too dangerous to allow them to survive, but this is just a myth.

"To remind the rebels that the Capitol is the strongest force in existence, we have destroyed your 13th district."

The citizens of Panem knew this much.

"However, officials have pointed out the fact that this may not be enough. That we, the Capitol, need to bury the idea of another uprising completely. Ergo, as punishment for your misdeeds," The President took a breath. His eyes gleamed with malice. Panem waited with bated breath.

"We are introducing a reality television show to be held once a year as a celebration of the Capitol's victory as well as a reminder to the rebels that the Capitol has control over you and what you hold most precious. We are introducing the Hunger Games."

The announcement carried on to describe how 24 children, two from each district, would be reaped from the rest. These 24 would go on to participate in the Hunger Games. They would be locked in an arena, unable to escape for as long as required. The Capitol and the Districts alike would be able to sponsor their favourite tributes. The winner of the Hunger Games would be granted a new home, all the money and food they could imagine, as well as grain and oil for every member of their district. Other food and gifts would be given throughout the year to the Victor's district.

"The only rule in the arena is as follows: kill or be killed. Reapings will take place in exactly 2 months for 12-18 year olds. Remember, the Capitol cannot be beaten. We are a stronger force than all 12 of your Districts put together."

And with that, the televised announcement ended. Shock. That was what followed. Silence. Silence across the entire country. 12 districts sat, glued to their seats, still watching the television, though it had moved onto images of what was once district 13. A mockingjay flew across the top corner of the screen.

24 children went to bed that night, tossing and turning, like the all the others. Worried by the notion of the Hunger Games, like all the others. Worried for their siblings, worried for their friends. Not even considering the fact that they could ever be chosen to represent their district. Not even considering the possibility that in just over two months times, it would be _them_ locked in an arena, forced to fight against one another to the death. But only one of those 24 was going to survive. Just one.

**Remember: reviews are lovely **** We writers really do appreciate them! **


	2. RulesFormetc

**Why hello again :D Here are the rules/form/sponsor system. Get submitting! I can't wait to see what you guys have in store**

**The Rules:**

This is the first Hunger Games ever. There is no such thing as Careers. But please, by no means, make _everyone_ upset about the fact that they've been reaped. Do literally whatever you'd like with this! The only thing is, I don't really want trained tributes.

Please don't all give me tributes with dead parents. It's kind of cliché and when there's not much diversity things are not much fun to write.

On the topic of diversity, I'll be giving one extra sponsor point (see below for how that works) for tributes with interesting points (that I find interesting) in their character. ie pyromaniac, sadistic, mute, stuff that makes them really stand out. Also don't forget about the rebellion. It's just happened and some of these kids might have connections.

I'll be accepting four volunteered tributes- very few people are THAT good.

Mary Sues/Gary Stus are automatic bloodbath tributes, sorry.

(Sorry about all these rules, I just don't want too many handicaps when I start writing.)

**The Form:**

Name:

Gender:

Age:

District:

Volunteered/Reaped:

Bloodbath YES/NO:

Appearance: (please no full sentences)

Personality: (please no full sentences)

History: (same as above)

Family: (same)

Fears: (min 1)

Weaknesses (min 2)

Strengths (max 4)

Reaction to being reaped/why volunteered:

Why you should win or lose:

Preferred death:

Reaping outfit:

Token:

**The Sponsor System:**

At the end of each chapter I'll be keeping a tally of who has how many points. For example: _fanfictionnamehere: 10 points_

_Otherfanfictionname: 3 points _

Tribute= 5 points (extra point to tributes I find extra interesting)

Bloodbath Tribute= 8 points

Review= 3 points

Arena Idea= 1 point (I have a vague idea, but I'd love to hear yours too)

What you can give your tribute: (pm/review what you want to give and I'll take away the points needed from your tally)

ANY FOOD= 9 points

ANY TOOL= 11 points

ANY WEAPON= 13 points

ANY MEDICINE: 15 points

These will increase by one point every day after the final 8


	3. Final Tribute List

**Thanks so much to all who have submitted a tribute! The syot is oficially closed! So far it's been awesome writing your tributes and I can't wait to see where it takes us next :)**

**PS sorry siriusly. retardis I didn't notice the mishap. I think I've fixed it**

District 1:

M Diamond Redding (RMH RMH)

F Emilia Escot (guest)

District 2:

M Scissor Hans (QuietConspiracy)

F Danika Bronze (xSakura-Blossomsx)

District 3:

M Jett Singh (Katrace)

F Rosalina "Rose" Thorne (Shevil Devil)

District 4:

M Caelan Dale (Iris Hunt)

F Coral Wright (Lorelai Sofia Petrova)

District 5:

M Lucas Mitchell (FinchelPrincess)

F Surge Electra (ButterAsh)

District 6:

M George Bowen (Prim Hawthorne)

F Eliza Bowen (Prim Hawthorne)

District 7:

M Wyatt Sapling (Known777)

F Rowan Alder (holyeverlark)

District 8:

M Cameron Sewing (Wandering Princess)

F Yvette Barush (dawn-jessica)

District 9:

M Dorian Smith (Siriusly. retardis)

F Gwenith Rye (xSakura-Blossomsx)

District 10:

M Jesse Spur (Lorelai Sofia Petrova)

F Essence Park (Hello83433)

District 11:

M Kaleb Jones (siriusly . retardis)

F Angela Kent (siriusly . retardis)

District 12:

M Quin Wood

F Sorrel Coleman (FinchelPrincess)

Points:

Siriusly . retardis: 28

xSakura-Blossomsx: 18

Lorelai Sofia Petrova: 15

FinchelPrincess:14

Prim Hawthorne: 10

ButterAsh: 9

Katrace: 8

QuietConspiracy: 6

dawn-jessica:6

Hello83433: 6

Shevil Devil: 5

holyeverlark: 5

RMH RMH: 5

Iris Hunt: 5

hogwarts-hannah: 3


	4. Diamond and Emilia

**Here you go! Diamond and Emilia thanks to RMH RMH and my sister. I hope you like it! Also I cant post the next chapter until I get some district 2 tributes so send them in guys! **

I'm in a rage again. Keo often jokingly tells me I have PMS. Which doesn't do much except anger me more. Usually these moods pass quickly. But ever since they announced these games, I've been angrier than usual. And I'm not sure why. It's not that I don't agree with the games. I don't care either way, to be perfectly honest. It doesn't concern me in the slightest. But the Capitol _does_ piss me off. I mean, for God's sake. You didn't need to go and obliterate an entire district to get your point across.

It's these "reapings" today. Everyone's expected to go. Dad doesn't want to, of course. He's far too busy. Mum's busy too, but at least she pretends she's interested in our lives. I know secretly she would trade all four of her sons for one daughter. Keo's worried about these "reapings." I told her she was being dumb and that it wouldn't affect either of us. I felt bad as soon as I said it though. I really do love Keo. She's gorgeous and I would do anything for her. I should've comforted her. Been a good boyfriend. Instead of scoffing at her fears. She could very easily find someone more sensitive than me. Sometimes I wonder why she doesn't.

"Hey, Dimo?" Someone whispers on the other side of the door. It was Black Pete, dark sheep of the family. I hate my father for casting him aside like nothing, just because he's a little mentally disabled. He doesn't understand why people yell nasty words in the street when we walk. He doesn't understand why he wasn't allowed to fight for the Districts like the rest of us and make father proud. Normally I'd put aside anything and everything for him, but not now. Now I would probably say something insensitive or needlessly cruel. It's the rages. They take over my brain.

I ignore Pete and push angrily against the window. It suddenly jolts out, leaving a gap just big enough to squeeze through. I've got to get out of here.

The district is in ruins still. We got off easy, being the capitol's lapdogs as other districts like to call us. But rubble and the smell of death litter our streets, same as any other. I head towards the Square. It's hot and sweat soon makes my T-shirt stick to the back of my neck. I see the children of our districts crawl towards the square with their families, or what's left of their families, fear etched into their faces. And it makes me angry. I was too young too fight during the rebellion. Not that it would have made a difference. And now these games. These games that will remind us of what we lost when we gave in. Not up. We didn't give up. We gave in. Or they did. I wasn't 18 yet. And mother, while stretched for time working in the District 1 government office, would not let me sign up. Flat out refused. Not that I cared anyway. I wouldn't have changed anything. I'm never going to change anything. Worthless.

I get herded towards a roped off section of the Square by a peacekeeper who doesn't look much older than me. One glare and he leaves me very quickly to find my own way. I glance around at the other children in the square. 12 year olds. What do they want with 12 year old babies?

"Welcome to the very first Hunger Games!" Happily shrieks a heavily made up representative of the Capitol. Her skin looks funny. Purplish. Is that a new thing there? I wonder, amused. Skin dying, what next?

"Now I'm sure you're all very excited to get started, but there are a few little formalities that need to get done first." She pretends to yawn, but I know she's trained to instil a sense of fear in the districts, even if she doesn't know it. She goes on about how this is our reminder that the Capitol are fair and just rulers and that the Games are a fair and just way of fairly and justly punishing the districts for being unfair an unjust to their mighty overlords. I want to be sick. So, it appears, does someone else.

A giggle. From the 16 female section. A girl giggled at our Capitol representative. How can she laugh in such a dire situation? Everyone turns to look at her. She's short. Doesn't look strong enough to even stand up straight, let alone laugh in the face of the Capitol. Her long, untamed hair reminds me of Keo's. I stop looking at the girl and search for my Keo.

There she is, on the fringe of the 17 section. Scanning the crowd. Always scanning the crowd, searching for clues that can help her judge a situation. She catches my eye and gives me an uneasy smile.

"Oh, is something funny, dear?" Our purple people eater smiles widely. "What's your name, sweetie?"

The girl says nothing. Smart girl.

"Come on now, what's your name?"

A peacekeeper pulls her out of the group of gathered girls.

"Emilia Escot." The girl calls, chin up. I like this kid.

"Well, Emilia, I don't think it's very fair to laugh while I'm giving a speech, do you?" The Capitol woman patronizes.

Emilia jerks her arm away and stalks back to her section, ignoring the woman completely.

"Well then… you district citizens certainly are rather rude." She sniffs and perks up again, approaching the glass ball full of names. "Anywoos. Ladies first!"

The entire district seems to hold its breath as she scrabbles around for a slip. She totters back towards the centre of the stage. And clears her throat. And reads.

"Lillyella Escot. Hm Miss Emilia. Not laughing anymore, are we." She giggles.

I glance at the girl. Her face whitens. A girl behind her gives Emilia a gentle hug. Emilia shrugs her off, watching the little wisp of a child approaching the stage. She struggles to move forward, pushing girls in her section away as she stumbles to the centre aisle again.

"STOP! I'll do it! Take me instead! I want to do it." Her voice breaks as her little sister looks back in horror, but says nothing as Emilia races forwards and gives her a squeeze before pushing her back to her friends in the 12 section.

"A volunteer? This is not in the protocol." The woman looks uneasy. The new mayor of our district, taking the place of the one in power during the rebellion who was shot to make an example, shakes his head and whispers something to the woman. She nods and beckons for Emilia to join them on stage.

"Everyone, let's welcome our female tribute to the stage!" She claps. I bring my hands stiffly together once. This is not fair. The Capitol is throwing their weight around, taking control of our lives. And I want to do something.

"Now for the boys!" She barely has to move to dig around in the other glass ball for a male tribute.

"Quigley Need. Please make your way to the stage." I bite my lip to stop myself from calling out in rage. It's the little cripple boy. The one who lost his leg in an attack. No. They won't take him.

"I- I'm going to take his place." I step forward. Not hard as there are only 3 other 18 year old males in the District.

Heads whip around. Eyes stare. And I am relatively calm. I never did like my District much anyway. And what better way to go than in place of a 13 year old, helpless boy. I confidently stride towards the stage and climb the steps.

"Dimo, Dimo!" I hear. Black Pete. I feel a pang in my heart Even someone mentally disabled understands that I am not returning. But it's not that that makes me instantly regret my decision.

I search out Keo for reassurance that I've done the right thing.

And she looks away.

HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG

"You stupid, stupid, stupid girl!" Dhara shakes her head at me. "Why would you do that? Why would you do that, you… you… idiot!"

Diamond Redding and I have been taken to the Justice Centre. We've been locked in separate rooms and allowed 10 minutes to say goodbye. Decent of the Capitol.

"You would give it all up. Everything. Me. All your fancy-lads," She begins. I smile at this. A name we've given for the boys that follow me around almost as much as the children I love so much. "All the little kids that trail you constantly. Singing? Benji? What about Benji! He's finally coming around!" She exclaims.

"Benji? You think I would exchange my sister's life for an arrogant man-whore?" I cross my arms.

"He's hot." She states as if this settles it.

"So's that Diamond Redding!" I giggle. "I'm so jealous of his hair. It's rather luscious, isn't it?"

She sniffs and latches onto me. "I'm going to miss you, you turd."

Tears prickle in my eyes and threaten to fall. Dhara. How was I going to go into a killzone without her?

"Look after my family. Mum works too hard. Lilyella needs nurturing and I'm… I'm not going to be around anymore." I choke out.

"No!" She slaps me across the face. "What happened to my optimistic, bright and bubbly Emilia?"

"Um bloody OW, Dhars…" I rub my cheek. "Way to kick me when I'm down."

"You're going to win. You're going to kick the other tributes in the arse! Got it, Escot!?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" I shout back, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

The peacekeepers made Dhara leave after that. My time with her was up. Next visiter. It's funny. I used to get along with the peacekeepers here. Before the end of the rebellion. One especially, a new member called Travis always kept me informed with what was going on at the front. In exchange for a song. I'd sing to him all the time. He said my voice lit up his world. I would search for songs endlessly just so that when he found me I'd have something new to sing to him. I don't dare to think of what's become of Travis now.

"Oh darling. My beautiful, brave girl." My mother, already in tears, burst through the doors, with a red-eyed Lilyella and my father, rubbing his nose, desperate not to cry.

"Mum." I smile, always the strong one. "Don't cry, you'll set me off."

"Sorry we weren't in first. Your father had a bit of an er… disagreement with the mayor." She sniffed.

"Oh, Dad! What did you do? You'll get yourself killed." I sigh.

"That makes two of us." He says gruffly and pulls me in for a hug. I always feel as if nothing can touch me while he's around. This will be the last time I feel that sense of security, probably.

Lilyella touches my hand. Hers is warm. And that one gesture was enough to communicate all her love and thanks. And her final goodbye.

They're ushered from the room and so am I. Only in the other direction. Towards the train. We're the last stop on the route to the Capitol. All the other girls and boys will have been chosen. And we're all heading off into an arena to kill eachother for revenge against our parents.

Diamond is already there when I'm led onto the train. He is good looking. With long hair, tied back into a ponytail, stubble on his chin, a muscular body. He's got that look. The dark and angry teenager look, but with an air of self-confidence. To be honest, he scares me a little.

"Hello." He says grimly.

"Hi." I reply in a high pitched voice.

He gives me a pretty obvious once over, sizing me up. Probably deciding if I'm likely to be a threat. And then upon seeing I'm about half his size, probably deciding I'm the very farthest thing from a threat.

"You laughed at the escort. That was pretty cool." He finally said, stiffly. Like he's not used to the whole interacting with other people thing.

I shrug, unable to find an answer to that statement. I glance around the compartment. I've never had it bad in life. My family's pretty wealthy for the districts. Of course we all made sacrifices during the rebellion, but my family escaped mostly unscathed. This, however, is the most extravagant display of wealth I've ever seen. It's beautiful.

I run my hands over the satin upholstery. And then the gleaming crystal vases filled with intricately arranged bouquets. I want to take my shoes off and feel the thick carpet between my toes, but manage to maintain a little dignity.

Diamond sits on one of the plus couches, looking dark and annoyed. He rests his feet on the glass coffee table in front of him, not caring about the mud and sand that fall off them.

"Hello hello hello my District 1 tributes! How are we all feeling? Excited?" Our escort practically skips through the door the compartment. Now that I'm up close, her skin looks kind of weird. Purple? I wonder what's wrong with her.

Diamond glares at the woman, who giggles nervously and averts her gaze to me.

"Emilia." She narrows her eyes at me and giggles again. "How are we feeling?"

Well, not great. But, unfortunately, I had a feeling this train ride was going to be the highlight of the next few weeks.

**Let me know what you think in a review **


	5. Danika and Scissor

**Hey guys! Here's the next set of reapings. I'm doing them a little differently in that each district will get some pre-games event so that we can get on with the games quicker and don't have to do 12 chapters of reapings and then 12 or more chapters of pre-games. So thanks to xSakura-Blossomsx and QuietConspiracy for Danika Bronze and Scissor Hans!**

I lean back against the plush purple cushions in our train compartment, unsure how to feel or how to think. I've been trying to keep a cool, emotionless face since the reapings so that I can work out how I want to play this when I can think straight. Our mentor, who's been plucked from the Capitol to help me and my counterpart survive, has been blathering on about the rules of the Hunger Games for the past half hour. I haven't taken anything in at all and hope he'll be able to re-explain them to me later.

I glance at the boy next to me. Scissor, I think they called him. He's covered in scars, head to toe. I want to ask him about them but I don't want to come across as interested in any of this. I need to play it very cool.

"Bronze are you listening to me? This is very important information I'm giving you here." Our mentor snaps. His ear is so pierced there's more metal than flesh. I almost like that look.

I roll my eyes at him like I believe this is all very beneath me and toss my shoulder length brown hair over my elegant shoulder. "I've been ready for this my whole life. Don't you worry about me, darling. And please, it's Danika."

He blinks, unsure how to continue. I smile.

"Danika. A sexy name for a sexy girl." The other tribute says flirtatiously. I resist the urge to edge away from him. Instead I whip my head around and press my long nail hard against his throat. His pupils dilate and I feel his pulse quicken.

"Did I, in any way, insinuate that I would like to be objectified?" I growled, eyes flashing.

"Bronze! Sit down. There's plenty of time for that later." Our mentor says, panicked.

I give Scissor one more glare and sit back down. I can still hear his deep breaths. He won't last a second in the Games if he's going to show how frightened he truly is so quickly.

Our mentor seems relieved and continues talking about strategy and a cornucopia. But I've stopped listening. I've been training to be a ruthless fighter since my parents died. I don't need some silly fashion plates idea of how to fight. The only fighting he'll have ever seen will have been on TV. My mind drifts back to the justice building. Asher and Slate, my brothers, were absolutely beside themselves. We've already gone through so much, what with losing our parents in the rebellion. They don't need more heartache. It tears me apart to think how they'll go on if I die in these games.

I'm trying so hard not to think about what the next few weeks will hold. I'm absolutely terrified. I'm quite small, short and thin. I won't last a second up against big tough boys who may have fought for the districts in the rebellion.

"So what then, Bronze?" Mentor asks.

I stare back blankly and carelessly fiddle with my necklace. It's my mother's wedding ring and the only piece of jewellery I would ever wear.

"What weapon do you think you'd be best at?" He sighs.

I smile serenely back and finger the steak knife on the mahogany table. Without any warning I grab it and ram it into the table, between Scissor's middle and forefingers. I've done a lot of practice with knives and this opportunity to prove myself as a threat seemed too good to pass up.

Scissor's jaw drops. And our mentor turns and interesting shade of purple.

"Maybe we should come back to weapons." He chokes out. "I'll explain the sponsor system."

He goes on to explain how important it was to get the citizens of the Capitol to like us. If they did, they could pay to send us gifts like food and medicine. It could be the difference between life and death. Instantly, I know that hiding my fear and coming across as indifferent and terrifying was the right choice. I will definitely look like a promising tribute to the rich Capitol citizens.

I glance over a Scissor again. He doesn't seem too concerned about the games. Then again, I actually don't think he understands the concept. He seems to think they're just games, not real. I'm not sure whether or not to tell him. He even volunteered and seems quite excited at the prospect of participating. I purse my rosebud lips and try to imagine killing him. I am repulsed by the image. How am I going to do this?

He looks back at me, aware that I'm staring at him. He winks.

I roll my eyes again. He's getting on my last nerve and I begin to think that maybe I will be able to manage the games.

"Do either of you know anything about herbal medicines or edible plants?"

"Oh I don't do greens." Scissor says.

"If you're starving, you'll probably find that, actually, you can handle your greens." I cackle.

"They're not going to starve us, stupid. This is just a game." He replies and smirks, like he's just won an argument.

I shake my head, unable to comprehend that anyone can be this thick. Even our mentor scrunches his obviously waxed eyebrows together in confusion at this comment.

I tune out again and think about Asher and Slate. How they've always been around, watching out for me. And inseparable pair. I used to envy their twin telepathy and get really jealous about how close they were, but I've grown to appreciate that they'll always have a special bond. And they've always been liberal in telling me how much they care about me. I wonder if I'll ever see them again. I feel a pricking in my eyes and immediately shut down these thoughts.

I will not cry.

HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG

This chick is terrifying. Completely bonkers. People call me crazy, but they've clearly never met Danika Bronze. At first I thought she was going to be one of those cute, giggly chicks. She's got the look. Short, curvy, big blue eyes, freckles across her nose, rosebud lips. But I seriously thought she was going to stab me back there.

I try to act cool and stretch out on the couch. It's soft and my whole body sinks into the cushions. This is the most comfortable I've been in a long time. My parents are dead, or so they tell me. I don't really remember much from before the end of the rebellion. I live with my sister and her boyfriend, but they live in the poorer part of District 2. And every penny they make goes to their daughter. Not much left over for me.

"Ok. So…" Olbert begins slowly. I think he's scared of Danika too. "Once you begin your training there will be different stations. Weapons. Traps. Skills."

I keep glancing at Danika. She looks totally zoned out. I think she thinks we're all actually going to have to kill each other. She must be really stupid. They're the Hunger _Games _for fuck's sake.

My bro seemed pretty nervous when I volunteered, but I haven't had fun in a while. Not since, apparently, before the rebellion. I think he's just jealous about all the fun I'm going to have at the Capitol without him. I wish I could remember the war. It sounded pretty sick and they tell me I took part in it too. I bet I was awesome.

The word 'gun' snaps me back to the conversation. Suddenly a flood of memories hit me.

_I am running so fast. I've never run this fast in my life. The smell of blood and smoke thick in the muggy air. They've found us. The Capitol soldiers are after us. How could they possibly have overheard our plan? That we were going to be here today. We've vetted everyone so carefully that the question of a Capitol spy was laughable. _

_This is no coincidence, though. This is an ambush. They outnumber us five to one. I see the telltale flash of a white uniform up ahead. There's no way of escape. They're surrounding us. _

_There's a sudden outbreak of gunfire and my heart stops. But luckily I've been missed. _

_Martin, on my left, drops to the ground. I freeze and drop down next to him. He's covering his chest with his hands. But the blood is slowly seeping through his light brown shirt. He's sweating and his face is screwed up with pain. _

_"__Marty! Marty! Are you ok? Please answer me!" I'm nearly sobbing. Martin. My best friend. _

_"__Run, Scissor." He groans. "Now. GO!" _

_Suddenly he goes limp. I close his open eyes and give him a final salute, trying to contain my anger. He's right. I need to move. There will be time to grieve later. _

_But I'm too late. As I begin to get up, I hear the sound of running feet behind me. I go cold and know I'm about to die. _

_I hear the crack of the butt of the gun hitting my skull before I feel the pain. And then. _

_Blackness. _

"Scissor?" I hear a voice. "Are you alright?"

I look around the carriage. I haven't moved. I'm sweating and shaking, but the memory is already fading. I try to cling onto it, terrible as it is because it's all I have of the rebellion. I remember waking up in my brother's house, weeks later. The rebellion was over. The Capitol had won. But this meant nothing to me.

Danika's staring at me. Her expression is halfway between amused and a little unnerved. Anger builds inside me as I watch her bury her expression with a bored, indifferent mask. She raises an eyebrow. And I lose it.

"You shut up." I glare at her, blood boiling. "I'll fucking stab, I don't care if you're a girl."

"Scissor, please. Save it for the arena." Olbert sighs.

I don't understand what he means by this, but ignore it as I calm myself down. This was the most violent reaction I've had to a memory.

"Now, guns. If you can't use them, I suggest you practice during training. The skill might come in handy and it's much easier to kill someone with a gun than a knife."

Each time he says the word gun a wave of fear washes over me. Why would that skill come in handy? Guns are used to kill.


	6. Jett and Rosalina

**Here you go! Next chapter up **** Please please please send me in male tributes! I only need 5 more before the syot is closed! Hope you like this one, starring the marvelous Jett Singh and Rosalina Thorne thanks to Katrace and Shevil Devil **

I look out the window of the mag-lev train. Swirls of color speed past, browns and greens, occasionally broken up by a burst of red. What I assume must be wildflowers. We're very far from home. Very far from the destruction and horror of the aftermath of the rebellion.

I'm fascinated by the mechanics of the train. I've always loved playing around with mag-lev in class. That was before the rebellion of course.

It's early. Very early. I couldn't sleep though, so I came out to the main room of the train to clear my mind a bit. I fiddle with the logic puzzle in my hand and wonder, for about the millionth time, how this happened. The odds were so in my favor. I had my name in that reaping ball three times. Just three.

I find myself thinking back to how I felt during the rebellion. Constantly on edge, wondering if I was going to survive the night. Shaking so hard when the bombers flew overhead. Every noise making my heart stop. I've been feeling like that since they called my name yesterday. It's like someone is squeezing all my insides as tightly as they can.

I catch sight of myself in one of the mirrors. I'm paler than I usually am. And my lip is bleeding slightly from being bitten all night. I shake my shaggy brown hair out my eyes and sigh. What hope do I have?

I hear a noise coming from the door to the compartment and my pulse increases. I whip my head around.

It's just Rose, the other tribute. She must have not been able to sleep either. She freezes when I notice her and stumbles back towards the door.

"Hey. It's ok, you don't have to leave just because I'm here." I say shakily.

"Um. Ok." She grunts and cautiously moves to sit on the chair opposite mine.

"Couldn't sleep?" I ask, fiddling with the puzzle in my hand.

She smiles airly and shakes her head. She's beautiful in a kind of different way. She looks slightly Asian with dark hair tied in a messy bun. Like she's been sleeping on it all night. But I can see in her eyes that she's in serious pain. Something terrible has happened to this girl.

"It's my birthday." She says suddenly. Bitterly too.

"Oh." I don't know how to respond. She's 19 today. If her birthday had been yesterday she wouldn't have been in the reapings at all.

"I'm so sorry." I finally come up with.

She snorts. "It's not like it's your fault."

I don't reply and I can see she instantly regrets her harshness. But there's no point in trying to be friends. I don't want to get close to someone just to see them die. Not again. I can still see Leo's shock as he gets hit by a wild bullet. The red start to spread out across his chest. And then… nothing. His last words were, 'Oh.'

Just as I decide I've had enough and get up to leave, Tara bursts through the doors.

"Hello hello my loverlies!" She giggles and sits at the table with us.

We say nothing.

"Have a good night's sleep? You'll need your rest for the big big day we have ahead of us!" She pops a few brightly colored pills into her mouth and adjusts her large feathered headpiece.

"Um. Big day?" I ask as I slot the last piece of the puzzle together. Now I have nothing to distract myself.

"Oh you're both getting a full body treatments!" She perks up instantly and begins telling me in great detail about everything they do to beautify themselves in the Capitol.

The second she mentions skin dying, Rose sits up.

"You're not touching my skin. I don't want anything done to my body, I like it just the way it is." She glares at Tara, dark eyes flashing with anger.

"Oh don't be silly! Of course you want them to fix you. These treatments usually cost an arm and a leg! You're so lucky to be getting it done for free!" Tara chuckles and continues nattering about some other rubbish neither of us listen to.

Did she just call us lucky? Lucky to be thrown into an arena forced to kill our fellow district civilians. Lucky that 23 of us are going to be flat out dead within the week? I feel sick.

HGHGHGHGHGHGHG

I glare at the magnificent crystal vase on the table, filled to the brim with white orchids and some weird hybrids that I don't recognize. I want to pick it up and throw it at Tara's stupid, Capitol face.

How dare she call me lucky. I feel like the unluckiest person in the world right now. Born one day too late to live.

Instead of maiming my escort I resort to picking at my nails, something I haven't done for years. I see the thin, gold bracelet around my wrist and my eyes start to get hot, like I'm about to cry.

It was my mother's. I wonder what she would think if she were still here today. She left when I was nine. Just disappeared. No goodbyes, no nothing. I was so mad. So so mad. But I've finally begun to forgive her for leaving us. I realize that she wasn't happy with my dad. He chose his job as a peacekeeper over her. He left her first, technically.

Now I'll never get to see her again. I'll never get to have a real family again. I can't go and make one of my own if I'm dead. And that breaks my heart.

"Ooh! We're here! We're here!" Tara excitedly crouches at the window, waving us over.

I glance at Jett. He looks like he's about to throw up. He seems like a really nice kid. He doesn't deserve this either. But if I'm going to win… he has to die.

"Come on! Say hello! Oh they're going to go crazy for you." Tara's high pitched voice is really beginning to grate on my ears.

I know what I have to do to get sponsors though, and being a bitch is not that. I sigh and drag myself to the window. Jett meekly follow behind.

What I see is startling. All the different colors and clothes and tattoos and… they don't even look human! I wonder if the Capitol was even affected by the rebellion. It doesn't look like it. Lavish gardens and tall buildings. Gross displays of wealth are situated everywhere I look. These people have not suffered how we have. They have never known loss.

All of a sudden Jett and I are dragged from the train. Tara has disappeared and I am caught in a crowd of people, being pulled through by a nameless Capitol woman. It's too much. I can't handle the claustrophobia of the crowd and pinpricks dot across my eyes.

But suddenly I'm in a white room surrounded by three Capitol women who introduce themselves as my prep team get me to take off my clothes and step into a bath that smells like roses.

It's amazing; a hot bath. We don't often get hot water back home. I suppose the well-to-do of District three used to, before the rebellion. I don't want to get out, but they make me, laughing at my resistance.

And then the pain begins. I squirm and yell and even bite the woman who tries to pull out my eyebrows. I don't understand why she's doing it.

"Calm down! I'm just waxing your eyebrows. Look I get it done all the time." She says in a shrill voice. I stop wriggling for a moment and look at the women. Her hair is shaved to a number one and is magenta. So are her eyebrows. Which definitely are not missing from her face.

"I can't believe she's never had her eyebrows done before." The younger women with long pink curls and a thin, angular face says to the third, evergreen colored women. I wonder why anyone would want to dye themself green.

"If you don't wriggle around, dear, this will get done much more quickly." Says Magenta.

"If you're like this with eyebrows, I'm glad I'm not doing body!" Evergreen shrieks with laughter.

I don't share in the apparent hilarity of joke.

I feel Evergreen fiddling with my hair while Pink coats my body in stick wax. I tense, waiting for the first rip.

It's sharp and quick. And I scream bloody murder. Stick me in an arena with 23 other kids and have us fight to the death? I'd take that any day over this.

"Her hair is lovely. I might go for this color after the pink gets old." Pink muses and rips off more of my leg hair. I react by kicking out, nearly catching her in the face.

Pink sends Evergreen to go and get restraints after that.

Points:

Siriusly . retardis: 25

xSakura-Blossomsx: 18

FinchelPrincess:14

Lorelai Sofia Petrova: 11

Prim Hawthorne: 10

Katrace: 8

ButterAsh: 6

QuietConspiracy: 6

dawn-jessica:6

Hello83433: 6

Shevil Devil: 5

holyeverlark: 5

RMH RMH: 5

hogwarts-hannah: 3


	7. Coral and Caelan

**Here are the stunning Coral Wright and Caelan Dale from Lorelai Sofia Petrova and Iris Hunt. Thanks guys!**

The ocean. I am the ocean. I feel like home.

"Oh, I'm good." Red, my stylist, mutters under her breath. "Very good."

I can't look away from myself. My waist-long, beach blond hair is lightly curled making it look like undulating waves. The ends are temporarily dyed turquoise. There are jewels glued to my skin which make me sparkle like the sea on a sunny day.

And then there is my dress.

Floor length. Tight corset leading to a sweeping, full skirt. The gauze sleeves trail along the ground. I can't describe the color. It seems to meld between indigo and sea foam. A small foam starfish is stuck to my temple. And I feel beautiful.

This is the first feeling I've had that hasn't been utterly petrified since they announced the Games. My eyes are drawn to my necklace. A sand dollar from my twin sister, Aqua. She gave it to me after I volunteered for her. When they called Aqua's name and she couldn't get to the stage alone… well how could I not have stepped forward? Aqua would've died in the first second, with only one leg and her now overly cautious attitude. I could see the combination of horror and despair on her face. At least I had a chance at surviving.

"Thank you, Red." I whisper and smile. Red is not at all how I imagined a stylist from the Capitol. She is nothing like my mentor, Dari. Dari has been tattoed, dyed, tightened, slimmed, and fixed in just about every way the Capitol have dreamt up. Red looks like she could come from home. Tanned skin, sunkissed blond hair, slightly crooked teeth. She looks just like so many of my friends.

"No problem, it was a blast. And a surprise to be honest. There was another woman who was meant to be your stylist, but she dropped out at the last minute. So they asked me." Red spritzed something in my hair as she spoke.

"Yeah this is such a blast." I said sarcastically. I can see this makes Red uncomfortable, but I smile to let her know I'm not mad at _her_. The Games gave Red a job. They took away my future. I wonder what, Noah, my fiancé is going to do now. We were planning on getting married soon after the reapings. He could barely say goodbye in the justice center, knowing he would never see me again.

"Alright. Let's get you out to the carriages. Apparently they've got horses! Can you believe it? I don't know where they got them. Never seen a live one before." She chattered amiably, brushing off my comment.

As I walk through the elegant building we tributes are staying in until the Games, I realize that no one here probably even realized a rebellion was taking place. Everything is so pristine.

My friends were all affected in terrible ways. Lost parents, lost siblings, lost homes. I lost an uncle, a forerunner for the district soldiers. We didn't really see him that often, but the loss still makes me angry.

I see Caelan standing by what must be our carriage. It's being drawn by two bay colored horses.

I think Caelan must have been affected the worst by the rebellion. Everyone was there. They made us watch while they executed his parents. Caelan's always been quiet and never interacted with the rest of the class at school. I know he's smart though. I remember on our first swimming class when we were only 5 he recited the entire lifeguard manual off by heart to our instructor. Those were the only classes I ever had with him, but he won every award in our final year.

"Hey Caelan." I smile amiably.

He grunts in reply.

"You look good." I say.

Another grunt.

"That the only sound I'm going to get or do I need to ask you direct questions?" I nudged him jokingly.

Finally he cracked a smile. And grunted again for good measure. I laughed.

Caelan is the sand to my ocean. He is in a sand colored tux, which looks a rough texture. There are small shells sewed onto the jacket instead of buttons. Anyone would know we were district 4.

I glance around at the other tributes. Some of them have not had such a good stylist as Red. I see 12 in baggy coal miner get ups with coal dust in their hair and on their face. But the district 1 tributes look beautiful.

The girl is dripping in diamonds and other precious gems. Even her skin glitters in the dying light of the day. She looks not of this world. I think her name is Emilia. I remember her because she volunteered for her sister too. She looks so beautiful.

"You look beautiful too, Coral." Caelan finally says something. Very quietly, so I nearly miss it, but at least he's finally talking. I blush, realizing I must have said this out loud.

"Thanks, Caelan." I smile. And try to get him to open up a little more by reminiscing about our swimming classes. Before the rebellion. Before our worlds got turned upside down. He begins to relax and recounts a hilarious story about our instructor nearly losing his trunks in our second year when he showed us to dive. Caelan's alright. I wish I'd gotten to know him better before… all this.

We are instructed to mount our carriages. Caelan must have felt the change too because we stand stiffly apart, scared to even look at one another.

I pick up the skirts of my dress and arrange them carefully in the carriage. It would not be good to get caught up in a wheel before the Games even begin.

I hear the roar of the crowd before I see them. How can they be excited about this? I don't understand. I have to stop myself from crying from the anger of it. This is where I must sell myself to sponsors. I am definitely beautiful enough, thanks to Red. But am I strong enough?

HGHGHGHGHGHG

What I want most is to cover my ears. All this noise is unnerving me. I can feel myself shaking a little and hope like hell I don't fall out the carriage. That would not be good. I'm so angry though. All our efforts for naught. My parents gave their lives to free the districts. I risked mine by hacking into confidential capitol files and sneaking them to the rebels. Countless families torn apart… all for nothing.

Coral, next to me, is smiling and waving at the audience. I've known her my whole life, although we've never really spoken. I remember her as a little kid when we were learning to swim. She'd be the first one in the water every single day. When the rest of us were too scared to dive, she'd jump right in, even though she never quite managed to get it right.

I decide that I need to match her bravery right now or no one will take me seriously. My stylist, Gevin has dressed me smartly. I look more attractive right now than I ever have in my whole life. And I need to use that.

I swallow my anger and fear and try to control my shaking hands. I need to be smart if I want to live. I give a big grin and wave to the Capitol. I wink. I blow kisses. I do everything right. Although it makes me sick I know the only way I can win these games and, once I return home, end them and help free the districts forever I need to outsmart everyone else.

I've tuned out the sound but I think I can hear them calling my name. Me and Coral.

We reach the end of the procession and the president begins speaking. I can't focus though. The tension of the night has gotten to me. In a moment of pure insanity, I grab Coral's hand. And it really is a moment of insanity. Because impulsive behavior is not in my personality. Think first. Act later.

I haven't thought of the consequences for this. Does this mean we're allies? I try and push these thoughts away. I don't want to get attached to someone only to have to watch her die. Not again.

Coral whips her head around and sends me a questioning look. I shrug and thrust our joined hands in the air, as if in victory. The crowd goes absolutely wild. They love seeing us together. Strong. Beautiful. Joined as one. I try not to let them see how much hate I have inside for each and every one of them.

Once we get back to our rooms, 4th floor for District 4, Katya, our mentor goes through the idea of us as allies.

"It was a quick decision on your part Caelan, but the rest of the Capitol really seemed to enjoy it. I was in the crowds. Heaps of people are already lined up as potential sponsors." She rambled, excitedly.

Coral sinks onto the soft couch, deep in thought. I can see the wheels turning and sit next to her.

"What are you thinking, Coral?" I ask.

"Katya." She says slowly. "Is it possible to form an alliance with other districts? Is there like a rule that says no?"

Katya taps her nails against the long table where we ate that morning. "I'll have to check with the gamemakers, but I think it's a possibility. I mean, they can't say no after how wild everyone went at the thought of you too being together."

"Who were you thinking?" I ask again, already knowing the answer. She'll want 1.

"District 1 for sure. The crowd loved them." She bites her lip.

"I'd go for District 2 if I were you, as well." Katya states. "The girl was seriously pulling sponsors. And the boy looks pretty lethal too."

I share an uneasy glance with Coral. I run a hand through my messy coal black hair. Do we want lethal people in our alliance? Do I even want to go into this with allies in the first place?

"You six would definitely pull the most sponsors collectively." Katya says, as if this settles it. "I'll have a chat to their mentors and see if we can arrange something. They won't say no if they want to win."

Ensley smiles unsurely at me. What have we just done? What have _I_ just done? Set something into motion that I'm not sure will do me any favors in the long run. This is why I think first. Act later.

We watch the recap of the opening ceremony. I have to admit. The six of us got lucky with costumes. We definitely look the best. Is that what these Games are going to come down to? A beauty contest? I scoff out loud and Coral gives me a questioning look, but I revert to my usual solitary stare and ignore her.

"What about him?" Katya asks, her manicured nail hovering over the District 9 boy.

"What about him?" I grunt, giving him the once over. I hadn't noticed him before, as he was behind Coral and me. He looks terrifying. His eyes are black as coal and he looks like he could easily wipe out the entire arena without blinking and eyelid.

"Do you want me to speak with his mentor as well? Maybe not the girl. She's pretty, but I didn't hear a lot about her in the crowd. He's called Dorian Smith." She taps something on what I've heard referred to as a palm pilot.

Coral bites her lip and nods. I can tell she thinks we're making a mistake hooking up with these terrible, lethal people.

I almost begin to hope this isn't allowed. That the Gamemakers put a stop to this alliance. Katya's certain they won't. I'm pretty certain too.

I swallow my fear and think about what I'm going to do. I'm going to learn as much as I can about these tributes in the next few days and I'm going to be smarter than them. I'm going to outsmart them all.

A pang of sadness shoots through me. To win, Coral will have to die. How could I have gotten attached to her so quickly? This is not the way the games were supposed to go. I realize that I've always liked her as a person. She's always been friendly to me, even though I try to push everyone away. She's always laughing and I've never heard a bad word said about her. She doesn't deserve to die.

I grit my teeth and ignore these uncomfortable feelings. I'll won't think about it until I absolutely have to. Emotions have no place in these games.

**AN: Well there you have it, the first career pack! Tell me what you think in a review!**

Points: 

Siriusly . retardis: 28

xSakura-Blossomsx: 18

Lorelai Sofia Petrova: 15

FinchelPrincess:14

Prim Hawthorne: 10

ButterAsh: 9

Katrace: 8

QuietConspiracy: 6

dawn-jessica:6

Hello83433: 6

Shevil Devil: 5

holyeverlark: 5

RMH RMH: 5

Iris Hunt: 5

hogwarts-hannah: 3


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